Condo Hunt: HGTV Canada Contest and Rockport Update

I love HGTV Canada's TD Canada Trust First-Timer Mondays. I get to watch two episodes of Property Virgins, House Hunters, and Income Property (yes, the one with the hottie host).

Also, there is an open contest sponsored by TD Canada Trust, where a lucky person - hopefully, me - will win $25,000 for renovating, redecorating, or purchasing a home. Dude, $25,000! I can pay $20,000 downpayment and have enough money for closing costs.

Of course, I entered and I am now fervently praying that I win. If I did, then I don't have to get a little financial help from my brother. Yay!

Speaking of which, I don't think he wants to lend me any money. We've been e-mailing each other about it, and I have answered most of his probing questions so far. Apparently, he's still not satisfied. Actually, he did say he can lend me some, but when I asked him to raise the amount, he doesn't want to lend me money anymore. His apparent unwillingness to help me out is negatively affecting my hopes of getting the Rockport unit. It's taking him forever to directly tell me either yes or no. In turn, it's taking me forever to register an offer on the property. I just heard from my realtor that someone has put an offer on the unit yesterday.

Oh, well. If that buyer gets the place, then I guess it's just not mean to be. But, where else can I find a great place that is close to transit, Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, my doctor, and my dentist? Argh!

Stay tuned.

Update - 2 May 2009, 07:08
It's official: my bro said no. Oh, well...

Buy a Subway Sandwich, Save Chuck

I do not watch Chuck - come on, how can you resist CBS's The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother? - but a lot of people say it's an awesome show.

So supporters of the show have started a Facebook campaign to get everyone to buy a sandwich from Subway, which has a placement deal on the show, and write on comment cards that NBC should give Chuck another season or two or that you are participating in the Chucktv.net campaign. You can do it for your lunch, dinner, or both.

I may buy a footlong for my dinner, since I brought my lunch. I may not watch Chuck, but the support that it has is enough for me to believe in it. Who knows? Maybe I will actually watch the show.

LOST Star Accused of Sexual Harassment

Chelsea Stone, a former ABC employee, is suing Henry Ian Cusick - who plays Desmond David Hume on LOST - for sexual battery and harassment. 

According to the suit, Henry Ian Cusick "allegedly squeezed and placed his face on the plaintiff's breasts, kissed her on the mouth, and caressed the back of her body while making moaning sounds". Ms Stone claims this happened "on or about" 16 October 2007. According to the court documents, which are posted on E! Online, Ms Stone complained to Carla Bowen, her immediate supervisor and 2nd AD. The defendants, which includes ABC Entertainment and Grass Skirts Productions, allegedly became "very hostile towards [Ms Stone] for making complaints regarding [the actor's] conduct". Twelve days after, Ms Stone was fired by the 2nd AD, Norman Kali. 

Ian, by which the actor goes, has not released any statement through his representative, as well as ABC and Grass Skirts Production.

This is truly disturbing. In my opinion, Ian doesn't seem to be the pervert that Ms Stone is saying he is. I keep picturing him in my mind as he does the obscene acts specified in the lawsuit, and yet it feels too weird. 

What do you guys think? Do you think that Ian could have done what Ms Stone is saying he did? Why? Or why not?

Condo Hunt: Davenport and The Rockport

Two weeks ago, I had a bit of a free time and I was able to look at MLS listings. I compiled five of them and sent the list to my realtor. Shortly afterwards, my mother made an excellent point that I should choose a place that is close to everything (e.g. groceries, Shoppers Drug Mart, bank, et cetera). I know that two of the listings that I gave my realtor are located near Willowbrook Mall. So I asked her if we could just see those two.

So last Thursday afternoon, we met in front of the Davenport, which is located near the intersection of 197 Street and 69 Avenue and was built in 1997. We looked at a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit on the top floor. We noted that it is a long walk from the elevator to the unit, so obviously that's a bit of an issue for me - being a single gal and all. When we entered the unit, we were instantly greeted by the sunlight coming from the huge door leading to the spacious balcony. We went out to the balcony and assessed it; the view is nice and it is, up to that point, the biggest patio/balcony I had seen. The noise from the street can be heard, but it likely won't bother me; being on the top floor helps. The unit has laminate floors - obviously not real hardwood floors, but these will do. The living room is as spacious as it can be - with the sellers' stuff in the unit, it's not quite easy to see how spacious it really is. The kitchen and eating area are decent, although there are no stainless steel appliances (the unit is 12 years old and the refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher are probably from when the building was built) and no granite countertops. Personally, as long as the appliances still work, it's fine. The mirrors they installed give the illusion that the living area is bigger than it really is, so kudos to the sellers for that. The den/office is nicely sized and bright because of the two windows in it. The bedroom at the end of the short hallway is enough - not too big, not too small - for my needs. To our surprise, the closet is quite big and has enough space for my clothes! From the bedroom, there is a door to the bathroom that can be closed/locked when there are guests. The bathroom is decent and nicely sized. I might replace some of the lighting, as well as the major appliances, but the unit isn't too bad, given the age of the building. It is well-maintained and bright. The list price is $184,900, or $249.53 per square foot. 

Then we went to The Rockport, a mere two-minute walk from Davenport. Like the other complex, it is also a low-rise building. The unit that we looked at was at the first floor, although we had to take the elevator to reach the first floor. It is the third door from the elevator, so it is much easier for me to carry the groceries, et cetera. The first room we saw was the small den/office. The built-in storage units are great and the office space is enough for me. I only hope my desk fits! The kitchen is painted with a warm green and great cabinets. Like the Davenport unit, the appliances may be as old as the building (i.e. 11 years old) and may need to be replaced further down the road. The bathroom walls and cabinetry match the kitchen, and is decently sized. Across it, the bedroom is spacious enough - the closet is as big as the one in the Davenport unit - and has dark hardwood floors - which I love (the floor for the rest of the unit is light wood)! The huge patio can be seen from the bedroom window. Really, the patio is huge! There's a covered section, and there's a garden area. That would be freakin' awesome during the summer and spring, although I have a purple thumb (this girl don't have a green thumb). My realtor did say that I can just put plants in giant pots. The sellers are also upgrading the unit while it's on the market, so kudos to them as well. Overall, the unit is well-maintained and doesn't feel like it is only 629 square feet. Anyway, the unit is selling for $178,900, or $284.42 per square foot.

The best thing about these two units? They are both close to the following:

• Bus stop;
• TD Canada Trust, where I bank;
• Willowbrook Mall;
• The Real Canadian Superstore;
• Shoppers Drug Mart;
• My doctor; and
• My dentist.

Perfect location, location, location!

Now, I have decided that I am going to buy one of them. Which one? I'm not saying. I just need to pony up $20,000 for the downpayment. If only Hurley can lend me the money... Hehehehe...

Stay tuned. ;)

There's a Thief in the LOST Fandom... GET HIM!!!

Oh, this is truly horrible: Erika Olson's recaps are being used word-for-word by a YouTube LOST vlogger!!!

Last Thursday, E, one of the top LOST bloggers, told her Facebook friends and Twitter followers that she was very upset that someone "has been using [her] recaps as their own". I thought, "Who the heck would even dare do that?" E has a copyright statement at the bottom of her blog; so this guy either never scrolled down to the very bottom or ignored it. Well, according to Oxford dictionary, the word ignore means "to disregard intentionally" (the emphasis is mine). Seeing as how Seanie B reportedly brushed E off in her attempts to personally confront this thief, the best bet is that he ignored the copyright statement. I can't believe this guy has the balls to produce a LOST recap vlog (or video blog), take E's words from her own blog, read it out (or memorize it), and claim the recap as his. Whatta SCUMBAG!!!! And his fake-recaps are featured on TVGuide??? UGH!!!!

Of course, everyone who commented on her Facebook status/Twitter update suggested one, two, or all of the following:

• Confront the thief - which she did, unsuccessfully;
• Report him to YouTube;
• Sue him; or
• Sic the Smoke Monster on him.

Fortunately, DocArzt published this piece on his blog. Hopefully, this will inform the LOST fandom, and the rest of the world wide web, that original ideas are being passed of as someone else's own, and it is wrong. This is plagiarism and it's a crime, plain and simple. The fact that he refused to admit that what he's doing is wrong and criminal makes my blood boil.

I seriously wonder how this guy can live with himself, knowing that he is stealing someone else's ideas and denying that it is wrong. Shame on him!

If you think that this guy is a scumbag for plagiarizing E's work, then please spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, your own blogs or websites, and the method of communication of your choice. Also, please Digg DocArzt's article on this matter and keep it on the forefront of Digg's home page. Let us all stand up against plagiarism, among other cybercrimes.

P.S. The title of this post is NOT - I repeat, NOT - meant to encourage mob mentality and doing harm to this jerk. It is only meant to get everyone - LOST fans, anti-plagiarists, media, everyone else - to unite against this crime.

Jack Shephard: AOL Television's Third Greatest TV Doc

Yes, Jack Shephard refused to operate on a young Benjamin Linus. Sure, he's not exactly the best general practitioner, especially on the Island.

But, after the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, he started helping and treating everyone once he emerged from the jungle. Also, he removed Ben's tumour with only a few problems (i.e. Jack deliberately cutting a small incision in Ben's kidney sac, Jack revealing that Juliet wanted to let Ben die, and Jack nicking an artery). Well, he was trying to save Kate and Sawyer.

Off-Island, he fixed Sarah's broken back. He also pulled Mrs Arlen and her son out of their burning vehicle. Well, he caused it, but if he didn't, he would have committed suicide and would never have come back to the Island.

That's why Dr Jack Shephard - former spinal surgeon and currently DHARMA workman on the best TV show ever - was picked as one of the "best and brightest in our preferred provider network of the 20 best TV doctors of all time" by AOL Television.

"Stuck in an oversized sandtrap, unflappable Dr. Jack leads the crash survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on their bizarre island adrift in time and space. And curiously, by becoming lost, Jack finds the leader within. Turns out, he's only truly lost when he returns to civilization -- only the island can give this spinal surgeon some backbone. Go figure."

*Sigh* If only Jack knew what his destiny in 1977 Island already...

Anyway, my other favourite doctors on the list are Dr Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy), Dr Gregory House (House), Dr Doug Ross (the just ended ER), Dr James Kildare (Dr Kildare), Dr Frasier Crane (Frasier), and Dr Douglas "Doogie" Howser (Doogie Howser, MD).

And, oh, my favourite Dr Jack Shephard moment is depicted in the following photo (thanks to Lostpedia):


After Jack and Kate found Charlie hanging from a tree, Jack tried his darnedest to save him. Even if Charlie appeared dead (uh-oh, one of his really close calls with death), he did not let go and pounded Charlie's chest to revive him. It was one of the most harrowing and emotional moments in LOST. And it is one of the reasons I like Dr Jack Shephard.